Officer's Crusade To Capture Elusive Shih-Tzu

CENTREVILLE, Va. (WUSA9) -- The streets of suburban Virginia are no place for a ten-pound Shih Tzu. But people in Franconia had gotten used to seeing a dog named biscuit darting in and out of traffic.

"There's two kinds of dogs. Dogs that get scared and lash out and dogs that get scared and just run," said Wanda Pool, a veterinarian at the Deepwood Veterinary Clinic in Centreville.

"Biscuit was a runner."

Biscuit ran for two years, but he was finally caught on Saturday and taken to vet.

"I think we counted 44 ticks that we pulled off him," said Pool. "I would just call it covered it dreadlocks."

The vet shaved off three-pounds of matted hair, and what she found underneath was a surprisingly healthy dog.

"Now all he needs is love," said Pool.

Biscuit now owes his life to Fairfax County Animal Control Officer Enna Lugo.

"Most people would say, 'You're never going to catch him. A lot of people have tried and nobody is able to catch him. So what are you going to do different?" said Lugo.

The difference turned out to patience. Lugo tracked Biscuit for nearly nine-months.

"I'd go out there, chase him, and he'd escape through a hole in the fence. Then I'd go out a week later, chase him again, only to find that he'd found another hole," said Lugo.

Lugo mapped out Biscuit's elaborate escape routes and this Saturday it took ten people four-hours to catch the street-smart pup.

"He's definitely a survivor. He's as stubborn as I am, so it was a match," said Lugo.

Biscuit's still learning how to be a pet. He doesn't even know how to drink water out of a bowl. But he's healthy, loving, and looking for a family.

"I hope for him to get a great family that knows his background, but doesn't hang on to that background," said Lugo. "I just want him to have a family that will give him the opportunity to be a brand new dog."

Officer Lugo has offered to foster Biscuit to help acclimate him to living in a house with people. He will be available for adoption once he has had time to adjust.